Pole gaining machine



7 June 23, 1953 R. L. EFURD, JR., ETAL 2,642,903

POLE GAINING mama Filed Jan, 14, 1948 3 Sheets-$heet 1 INVENTOR.ROBE/P7. 4. EFUkDJQ. {um/ya A. Era/P0 June 23, 1953 R. L. EFURD, JR.,EI'AJ POLE GAINING MACHINE Filed Jan. 14, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 June 23,1953 R. L. EFURD, JR., ETAL. 0

POLE GAINING MACHINE Filed Jan. 14, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.9055/97 L. [Fl/A 0 J2 fULA/VD /4.[/U/?D Patented June 23, 1953 POLEGAINING MACHINE Robert L. Efurd, J12, and Euland A. Efurd,

Shreveport, La.

Application January 14, 1948, Serial No. 2,255

. Our invention relates to pole framing machines generally, but more inparticular to a type of pole framer arranged and designed for thecomplete framing of poles to meet utility, telephone and RuralElectrification Administration requirements. Since most electrificationand telephone projects are carried out in rural communities, or in areasremoved from great supply centers, it is highly advantageous to have acomplete pole frame that may be carried from one location to another andmay be set up to operate with a minimum of effort and to frame the polein the shortest time possible.

Throughout the following description the phrase roofing the pole isintended to mean the sawing of the top end of the pole, Whether at rightangles to the length of the pole or at an obtuse angle thereto. Thephrase butting the pole shall mean the sawing of the butt end of thepole at any required angle. The word gain refers to the forming of afiat surface on the polethe operation being similar to spotfacing orslab milling in the metal trades.

An object of our invention is to provide a pole framing'machine thatwill prepare the pole with the necessary cross cuts and slab gains aswell as drill the proper holes for the cross arms and braces.

It is another object of our invention to provide a pole framing machinearranged to roof and butt the pole, the gain cutter element and thedrilling mechanism being operated from the same source of power.

Another object of our invention is to provide a pole framing machinethat is portable, thus allowing it to be moved from one location toanother where the poles are more accessible.

Further objects and advantages will appear in the following detaileddescription when viewed together with the accompanying drawings inwhich:

Figure 1 is a side elevational View of a device embodying our inventionin a pole framing machine showing the butt sawing mechanism and thetravelling gain buggy in an operative positionto feed a pole under thecutter element. "Figure 2 is a plan view of the machine, the butt sawingmachine and the gain bug y being removed.

Figure 3 is a broken plan view of the cutter element, the drill and thedriving means therefor. Figure 4 is a broken View showing the guiderollers that guide the. pole into position under the'cutter element.

2 Claims. (C1. 144133) Figure 5 is a side view of the main truck whichcarries the cutter element and driving means.

Figure 6 is a broken vertical sectional view through the drillmechanism.

Figure '7 is a broken perspective of a pole assembly after the pole hasbeen operated on by the pole framer.

Figure 8 is a broken plan view of the roofing saw arrangement.

Figure 9 is a broken side,view thereof.

Figure 10 is a broken side view of the main truck showing a modifiedposition of the drivin means.

Figure 11 shows another modification of the driving means and a modifiedcutter element.

Figure 12 is a vertical sectional view through the modified cutterelement shown in Fig. 11.

Referring now to the drawings, numeral [0 designates the main framewhich is made up of rigid uprights I! and cross members l2, suitablybraced by gusset plates l3. One of the cross members of the frame itcarries a horizontally mounted roller I4, the center shaft of which isjournalled in the side framing members. Another of the cross members 12carries a pair of angularly disposed rollers l5, arranged to positionthe pole with respect to the cutter element of the machine, as shown inFigures 1 and 4.

The frame It is also provided with a pair of rails l6 whereby the truckframe I! may be moved along and fed into the pole l8. As shown in Figure3, the frame also supports an operators platform Hi and a calibratedscale 20 placed along one of the rails It. The truck frame I! carries apointer 2! which is arranged to move just above the scale 2E3. Thus anoperator, standing on the platform It, may see just how far to advancethe machine along a pole during a slab gaining opthe cutter 23 or thedrill 24 is being used, the

movement of the cross arm 26 will have no effect on the driving pulleysor connecting belts.

On the inner end of the cross arm 26 is the cutter element 21 mountedhorizontally on a shaft which is rotatably mounted in end plates 28pivotally connected to the cross arm 26 by a pivot pin 30. These endplates 28 also carry a roller 29 rotatably mounted in the end plates 28.On the upper end of the end plates 28 is a pivotally connected adjustingmechanism 3| the opposite end of which is pivotally connected to thetruck frame H. The adjusting mechanism consists of a pair of oppositelythreaded studs 32, joined by a convenient adjusting wheel 33. When anoperator wishes to lower the cutter element 2'! to make a deeper cutinto the pole l8, he turns the wheel 33 in a direction according to thethreads of the studs 32. This adjustment will in turn pivot the endplates 28 and raise or lower the roller 23, accordingly, the roller 29acting as a depth stop at any depth setting of the adjusting mechanism3|. We have also provided an upwardly extending handle 34 afiixed to thecross arm 26 whereby an operator might hold the roller 29 down againstthe pole [8.

On the opposite end of the cross arm 26, there are weights 33 which maybe adjusted along the cross arm 26 to counterbalance the weight of themechanism on the opposite end. It is preferred that the weights 35 be soset as to raise the cutter 21 away from the cutting position on the pole[8 when the operator removes his hand from the handle 34. Thus thecutter will be assured of remaining clear of an incoming pole until theoperator forces it into its cutting position again by applying weight onthe handle 34.

Mounted on a framework 36 at the rear of the truck frame I! is the drillassembly mechanism 24. The assembly consists of a housing 3'] bored tofit a slidable sleeve 38. The main shaft 39 extends up into the sleeve38 and is arranged to be rotated by a pair of bevel gears 45. Thedriving gear is mounted on a shaft which is rotated by the driven pulley4! connected to the motor 25 by belts. The upper end of the sleeve 33 isprovided with a handle 42 arranged to be guided by a slot 43 in thehousing 37. The upper end of the slot 43 is provided with a notch i4 sothat the handle might be locked in the upper position.

Mounted beneath the rear end of the main frame Wis the roofing sawmechanism as shown by Figures 8 and 9. The saw proper 45 is mounted on arotatable shaft 45 suitably journaled in bearings 4! mounted on a beambar 48. The beam bar 48 is supported by uprights 49, the lower ends ofwhich are mounted on a swivel base On the outer end of the beam bar 48is an extending handle 5!, whereby an operator may turn the saw to anydegree of angularity with respect to the horizontally positioned pole,such degree of angularity being noted by the pointer 52 and thecalibrated quadrant 53. The saw 45 is rotated by a driving motor 54mounted beneath the beam bar 48 and connected to suitable pulleys andbelts.

In Figure 1 the travelling buggy 55 and the butt sawing device 56 are ofprior art construction and form no part of the present invention. Boththe buggy 55 and the butt sawing mechanism 56* are mounted on wheels andadapted to be moved along the guide rails 59. These guide rails 69 will,of course, be placed in proper alignment with the main frame ID, and mayeven be connected thereto. The bug y 55 is provided with a pair ofrotatable discs 57 arranged in a manner similar to the rollers E5 on themain frame it. The discs are pivotally mounted on the framework and maybe tilted to one side by the-handle 58 to allow the pole to be rolledoff the saw to make the necessary cut.

its position on the frame Ill. The buggy also supports the pole whilethe butt is being sawed by the butt sawing mechanism 56.

A brief description of the operation of our device will follow. Let usassume that a number of poles I8 must be prepared for a pole assembly asshown in Figure '7 with the butt 59 cut square with the pole and the top60 at a 45 degree angle, and a short slab 6| cut for a cross armassembly 62. It will also be necessary to drill the cross arm bolt hole63. The machine is best operated with three workmen, one standing on theplatform H! to operate the cutter and drill mechanisms and the other twohandling the butt saw 56 and the buggy 55.

The pole I8 is placed on the frame [0 and dropped into the forward guiderollers I5, the rear end of the pole being placed in the centralizingrollers 51 of the buggy 55. An operator then moves the buggy to wherethe butt end of the pole may be squared by the butt saw 56. At the sametime the forward operator moves thetruck frame along the rails It to acutting position. After noting his starting point on the calibratedscale 20, he lowers the cutter mechanism 23 into place by forcing downthe handle 34. Should the out be not deep enough or too deep, theoperator makes the necessary adjustments by turning the adjusting wheel33. When the pointer 2| reaches the desired marking on the scale 20, theoperator releases the handle 34. The weights 35 will automatically liftthe cutter mechanism 23 away from the pole, and the operator will movethe truck back to its starting position. It is required that the pole betopped with one 45 degree cut. Having previously set the topping saw atthis setting according to the calibrated quadrant 53, the operatorsimply'has to press downwardly on the handle 5| which pivotally raisesShould it be required that two angular cuts be made, the operator willpivot the saw in a horizontal direction and make the cuts accordingly.The saw proper 45 and its related bearing arrangement are so positionedon the beam bar 48 that their combined weight will overcome the weightof the motor 54, and thus automatically lower the saw out of its cuttingposition when the weight has been removed from the handle 5i.

Using either the buggy 55 or the truck frame H, the operator makes readyto drill the cross arm hole 63. By lifting the handle 42 from its lockedposition in the notch 44, he lowers the shaft 39, allowing the weight ofthe shaft to force the drill bit 64 to drill the hole. After thedrilling the operator raises the shaft and locks the handle into thenotch 44, and the pole is ready to be removed from the machine. We havefound in actual practice that the above described operations may beperformed in one minutes time. This is highly advantageous to poleframing operations since most electrification projects are required tobe completed with the most speed possible. To remove the pole from themachine, the buggy 55 is pushed backward to where the forward end of thepole will be removed from the guide rollers l5, allowing it to drop onthe horizontal roller 14. The rollers 57 of the buggy are then tipped toone side by the handle 58 and the pole is rolled onto the bed of thewaiting vehicle.

In Figure 10 is shown a slight modification of the travelling truck H.In this instance the motor 25 is mounted above the pivot point P of thecross arm 26. The rotatable shaft 65 has suitable pulleys for drivingthe cutter mechanism 23 and the drill assembly 24. In this manner thecutter mechanism 23 may still be moved in the directions of the arrowswithout tightening or loosening the connected driving belts orinterfering with the drill assembly 24.

Figure 11 shows the motor 25 mounted in a vertical position between theside frames of the truck 17 and arranged to rotate the drill assembly 24by a direct connection of belts and pulleys, thus dispensing with theset of gears as shown in Figure 6. Figure 11 also shows a modifiedcutter assembly 66, a section of which is illustrated in Figure 12. Inthis instance the cutter proper 67 is made to rotate horizontallysimilar to any prior art drill press assembly. The modified cutterassembly is fixed stationary to the truck upon a bracket 70 and may beset to any desired depth of cut by adjusting the convenient handles 88.

While we have given a brief description of the construction andoperation of our invention both in the preferred and modified for-m, itwill be readily apparent that various changes in this construction maybe made without departing from its spirit and scope as defined by theappended claims. The delivery and removal of the poles from the machinemay be greatly facilitated by the use of a conveyor system similar tothat used in saw mill operations.

It will also be remembered that the pole may be reversed in the machineso the topping operation and holes may be placed in the butt of thepole. The pole may also be pushed all the way through the machine inorder to make a cut on the entire length of the pole.

Throughout the specification and claims we use the term pole assynonymous with post and desire that our invention be construed asapplicable to all sizes of posts or poles.

We claim:

1. In a pole machine including a longitudinal framework, a pair ofspaced rails extending from one end of said framework at a positionadjacent to the bottom of said framework and a second pair of spacedrails positioned longitudinally on the top side of said framework andparallel to said first mentioned set of rails, the combination of awheeled buggy mounted on said first mentioned rails, said buggy beingadapted to support a pole or the like in transit over said framework, apair of oppositely inclined rollers mounted on said framework adapted toembrace and support an end portion of a pole or the like positioned onsaid buggy, a wheel truck mounted on said second mentioned pair of railsadapted for movement on the same, a beam bar pivotally mounted at amedial portion of its length on a transverse axle rigidly joined intosaid truck, a cutter means mounted on the forward end of said beam bar,manual means for engaging said cutter means with a pole or the likesupported by said buggy and said oppositely inclined rollers, and anadjustable weight means mounted on the rear end of said beam bar, saidweight means being adapted to be moved longitudinally of said beam barto balance said beam bar or overbalance the same about its axis ofrotation.

2. A pole machine comprising a framework, a pair of rails positionedlongitudinally along said framework, a wheeled truck adapted formovement along said rails, a beam bar pivotally mounted between the sidewalls of said truck, a pair of swivelly mounted spaced side plates onone end of said beam bar, a horizontally disposed cutter elementrotatably mounted between said side plates, a roller rotatably mountedbetween said side plates forwardly of said cutter element, means forlowering said beam bar to a position Where said roller will tangentiallyengage a pole placed beneath the same, means for raising or loweringsaid cutter element with respect to said roller to gage the depth of acut made by said cutter element on the pole with which said roller isengaged consisting in a threaded rod pivotally mounted to said sideplates, said threaded rod being connected to an oppositely threaded rodpivotally connected to said truck, the oppositely threaded ends of eachof said rods being engaged by a correspondingly oppositely threadedsleeve adapted to pivot said side plates upon being turned in aclockwise or counterclockwise direction.

ROBERT L. EFURD, JR. EULAND A. EFURD.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 606,155 Richards June 21, 1898 1,337,286 Stadig Apr. 20, 19201,454,901 McArthur May 15, 1923 1,617,621 Evans Feb. 15, 1927 1,690,111Heston Nov. 6, 1928 1,756,121 I-Iedgpeth Apr. 29, 1930 1,758,029 ColeMay 13, 1930 1,956,653 Onstad May 1, 1934 2,005,799 Nicholson June 25,1935 2,232,416 Taylor Feb. 18, 1941. 2,411,257 Friedman Nov. 19, 19462,415,601 Milward Feb. 11, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date511,977 Germany Nov. 5, 1930

